Chapter Text
“Carter I swear to God if you tap that pencil one more time I’m going to shove it down your throat.” Peter snaps from across the room. Carter is sitting on the couch, tapping the pencil on the arm of the couch in boredom. Peter is in the chair across the couch, glaring at him. Carter looks up, surprised, and then is immediately annoyed. He and the nine others that they are quarantined with share equal looks of frustration and annoyance. They’ve all been sharing the same few rooms of the ER for the past week, and they still have two more weeks to go of quarantine before they are cleared of SmallPox that they were exposed to. Even though they’re all friends, tensions have started, frustrated and sexual, building daily. The ten of them are currently all in the break room because it’s the most comfortable to hang out in. They’ve made trauma one their collective bedroom with all their cots and beds, so the break room has become their living room.
“Sorry,” Carter mumbles, sarcastically.
“Who wants to play twenty questions?” Doug pipes up, currently tossing a tennis ball against the wall.
“Only if you stop doing that,” Susan replies, sending an annoyed look his way. He sticks his tongue out at her and tosses the ball at her where she’s sitting on the ground.
Mark’s hand darts out and snatches it before it gets to her, as he’s sitting next to her. “I’m in.” He says, still amiable and pleasant as always.
“I think that means you have to go first,” Luka says, smiling a little as he glances down at where Abby has fallen asleep, slumped against his shoulder as they’re leaning against the wall by Peter’s chair.
“Alright, twenty questions total, no more, no less. Hit me.” Mark says, bouncing the ball to Leah.
She smiles easily and catches the ball, sitting next to Carter on the couch, their shoulders bumping occasionally. “Alright, I’ll ask first then. Do you want any more kids?” She asks, tossing the ball between her hands.
Mark feels Susan’s eyes on him, and he has to fight to not glance at her. “I don’t know. Maybe if I get married again.”
“Do you think you’ll get married again?” Carol asks next from where she’s sitting in front of the coffee table, her back to Doug.
“To the right woman maybe,” Mark answers vaguely, glancing at Susan this time. She looks away quickly, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“When was the last time you had sex?” Doug asks with a huge smirk on his face. Carol turns around to slap his leg, rolling her eyes. He laughs and sits down next to her. Carter, Peter, and Luka all roll their eyes but glance at Mark for his answer nonetheless.
Mark clears his throat and they all notice the heat rushing to his cheeks. “I don’t know, Doug. Probably not since the divorce has been final.” He answers honestly, shooting him an irritated look.
“Do you have any plans to date again?” Corday asks, sounding uninterested in his answer though, picking at her nails from where she’s sitting on the ground in front of the couch.
“I’d like to, I guess,” Mark replies, feeling Susan glance at him again.
“What do you really think of Kerry Weaver?” Luka jumps in, a smirk on his face. Mark laughs, grateful for the different pace of questions.
“I think she’s a pain in my ass, but a damn good doctor,” Mark replies.
“What do you really think about Peter?” Carter asks, sending a furtive glance towards Peter, basically a child poking his already pissed off older brother.
“Man, shut up, Carter,” Peter replies with an annoyed look on his face.
Mark suppresses his smile. “I also think Peter is a pain in my ass, but also a damn good doctor.” Peter sneers at Carter, who just laughs in response.
“How long have you and Doug known each other?” Corday asks, looking between the two of them.
“Before med school. I haven’t been able to shake the dumbass for years.” Mark chuckles glancing over at Doug, who is flipping him off.
“Yeah, and who’s your best friend?” Doug asks.
“Probably Carol.” He answers immediately, and everyone snickers at Doug’s attempt at staying annoyed.
“What was your least favorite rotation in med school?” Leah asks, her elbow bumping into Carter’s. They each shift away, exchanging awkward smiles and murmuring a quiet apology.
“Dermatology. So boring.” Mark answers. “Definitely not for me.”
“What was your first impression of Carter?” Benton asks, still glaring at Carter. Everyone chuckles lightly.
“I thought he was a little in over his head,” Mark admits. Carter’s jaw drops in mock offense, but Mark holds up his hands and continues. “I thought you were young and naive, but you’re doing excellent Carter, you’re a great doctor.” He amends. Leah giggles and nudges Carter gently in the ribs. This time when her elbow rests gently against his knee, neither of them move. Heat rushes to Carter’s face, and not just from Mark’s compliment.
“Thank you, I think?” Carter laughs, keenly aware of the pretty nurse leaning ever so slightly against him.
“Did you know that Jen was cheating on you?” Susan asks, bringing the mood to a much more serious note.
Mark sighs and pushes his glasses up on his nose as he considers his answer. “I think I saw the signs, but I ignored them for as long as possible because I didn’t want to admit it.”
“Do you still love her?” Corday asks, her face surprisingly vulnerable in her compassion for him and his situation.
“I don’t think I have for a long time,” Mark answers honestly.
“Okay, that’s twelve questions,” Carol speaks up, counting on her fingers. “Who’s your least favorite surgeon to work with?” She asks.
“Romano,” Mark answers immediately, making everyone laugh. “He’s like this annoying little firecracker that goes off all the time, except all I can see is his big, bald head.” Everyone laughs again, waking Abby up.
“What are we doing?” Abby murmurs to Luka, her breath warm against his cheek as she straightens and pushes herself away from him. Her face is flushed from sleep and embarrassment at having fallen asleep against him.
“Playing twenty questions with Mark. We just hit thirteen questions.” Luka fills her in, tipping his head down towards hers, wishing she wouldn’t have moved away.
“Good morning sleepy head.” Susan chuckles at Abby rubbing her eyes.
“Right,” Abby laughs, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “So, Mark, has anyone asked you if you’ve ever kissed a man?” She asks, getting right to the juicy stuff.
“Damn, Abby’s not messing around.” Doug laughs.
“I gotta make up for lost time,” Abby shrugs with a playful grin.
Mark rolls his eyes, his face flushing a light pink. “No, of course not!” He replies, looking repulsed.
“Why are you blushing so much?” Luka asks, making them all erupt in more laughter.
“Because the thought is incredulous! Now come on, next question please.” Mark replies.
“When did you lose your virginity?” Peter asks, finally getting into it. Everyone laughs, surprised that that question would come from Peter. Corday looks up at Peter and she wiggles her eyebrows at him, making him clear his throat and look away.
“Does everything have to be sexual?” Mark complains. “Fine, I was sixteen, and she had been my girlfriend for like, seven months before that. It was in my backyard.”
“What’s your biggest fear?” Luka asks, noticing Abby’s knee bumping into his.
Mark considers this. “Probably just, getting murdered in our parking garage.” He jokes, because their parking garage has needed to be updated for years now with security cameras or lights at the very least. “Or I guess something happening to Rachel.” He answers more seriously in reference to his daughter.
“Was Rachel planned or was she a surprise?” Carter asks.
“A surprise. We were not ready in the least. I was just finishing with med school and Jen had just decided that she wanted to be a lawyer.” Mark chuckles fondly at the memory of the panic and euphoria of finding out they were pregnant.
“If Jen hadn’t of cheated, do you think you two would still be together?” Leah asks, prodding gently as she rolls the tennis ball between her hands.
Mark shakes his head somberly after thinking for a moment. “I don’t think so.”
“Okay, two more questions people!” Carol announces. “Who’s your favorite nurse to work with?” She asks, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.
Everyone howls with laughter because there is no safe answer. Leah, Carol, and Abby all lean forward, intrigued to hear his answer. Mark groans. “This is a trap!”
“I would never pressure you into making this kind of decision,” Leah nods, struggling to suppress her own smile.
“Yeah Mark, just answer honestly.” Abby teases. "I'll respect your answer no matter what."
“I’ve worked with Carol the longest so. . .” Mark reluctantly answers. Leah and Abby boo him while Carol laughs victoriously.
“And who’s your favorite doctor to work with?” Carter asks.
“I guess Doug,” Mark sighs, resigned, making them all chuckle.
“Alright alright, someone else. That’s twenty questions.” Mark says, raising his hands in the air as if to lift off this burden.
“I think it should be Carter, he asked the last question.” Susan answers.
Carter looks surprised and everyone turns to look at him for the next round of interrogation.